a social experiment in anonymous giving.

I just want to say I’m extremely grateful to the IADAS and Webby Awards judges for picking this site to be honored at this years ceremony. What started out as a social experiment in anonymous giving quickly became an addiction, which like anything, will bleed you dry. I got addicted to the feeling of knowing, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I was going to influence somebody’s day in a positive way. I wasn’t bribing people to feel good. What I was doing was giving them a pat on the back from the universe and giving them a memory that they will carry forever.

Shortly after it was announced that I won the Webby, I went to go take the garbage out at my apartment complex (which requires getting in a car WITH said garbage). As I got out to toss the trash, I found a $20 bill. It doesn’t sound like a lot of money, and it’s not, but when you did nothing for it, except take out the garbage so your wife doesn’t have to, you get the feeling that the universe is just.

You can’t pay it forward anymore because things move too quickly. The internet has connected us all in such a way that paying it forward is immediately followed by being paid back, and being selfish goes public in a way that makes it hard to escape. You can’t make a move anymore without people seeing it. For people like me, this is a good thing because I try my best to do good. For those living in the shadows who don’t know the meaning of above board, your time is limited. It’s not just big brother watching anymore. It’s little sister, neighbor, cousin, friend from 10th grade, Ryan Gosling, etc.

If you woke up from being asleep, where is the one place you would not want to find yourself? For me it’s a Long Island Railroad bathroom; the old school one. The new trains aren’t so bad, but the old ones? With the red and blue seats? Have you ever been in one of those bathrooms? They make plane lavatories look luxurious. You open the door and step in, and your shoulders touch all walls. On certain occasions it’s far dirtier than you could imagine, with things that you can’t even identify. But this day, it was pristine. It was only missing one thing…

The only semi-cool thing about using the bathroom on the train is that as you make your way towards it, you feel like a cowboy from the old Western days as you mosey on down the aisle.

Yikes, what’s behind this door?

Well, at least they’re trying. There’s some wipes for your hands. But what’s behind that? What is that?

It’s MONEY!! For the rest of your life, as long as you think about train bathrooms (hopefully not that often) you’ll always remember that you found money in one today!!

If you live in the tri-state area, you know how necessary this was today. Rainy, grey, windy. I try to not let my emotional state be dependent on the weather. I know that it’s good for the Earth. It nourishes the plants and pretty much keeps everything alive. BUT I AM NOT A PLANT! I AM A MAN!!

And I don’t like the feeling of rain on my neck. WIth that said, I will show you some pictures of what I did to brighten somebody’s day. I don’t care who it is. As long as they’re not a plant. They have it good enough today.